Chapter 305: Into the Belly of the Beast

With their course set, Mark and his wives set off toward the mountain where the dragon had gone to seek shelter.

They traveled on foot, first crossing the open plain, then pushing into a wooded stretch that spread out at the mountain’s base.

The terrain was uneven, and the morning sun beat down hard, but none of them complained much, at least not at first.

"Master," Aria said after a while, brushing a sweaty strand of hair off her forehead. "Are you sure walking is really the best option here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we could’ve asked the druid to bring us," she replied, gesturing vaguely behind them. "We’d have gotten there in a fraction of the time."

"I know," Mark admitted with a shrug.

"Then why—"

"Because flying would’ve made us stand out way too much," Mark explained, glancing over at her. "The sky is a dragon’s natural territory. If we’d flown in, it would’ve spotted us long before we ever got close."

He shook his head.

"On foot, though, we can slip right up to its front door without it seeing us coming."

"I agree with my lord," Alice said, walking a few steps ahead, clearing a path through the underbrush. "Stealth is everything when you’re hunting something stronger than you."

"Yeah, yeah, flawless logic, I get it," Aria grumbled, trying to sidestep a mud puddle. "I’m just saying I would’ve very much preferred the comfortable option, that’s all."

"Can’t argue with you there," Mark replied with a light laugh.

They kept moving, trading jokes and complaints, with Alice leading the way and checking the dragon’s trail every so often.

Then an idea crossed Mark’s mind, and almost immediately he reached into the pocket of his robe, feeling around for a moment until he found what he was looking for.

When he pulled it out, Vorax sat in his palm, calm as ever, swaying gently with his steps.

"Vorax," Mark said, bringing him up closer to his face. "When we get there, do you think you could lend Alice a hand finishing off the dragon? A little extra support never hurts against something that size."

The slime vibrated for a moment before answering, in that same polite little voice of his.

"If you order me to, Master, I will do so without a moment’s hesitation," Vorax said confidently. "However, I feel it is my duty to warn you of something before you make that decision..."

"I’m listening."

"From what I observed during Miss Alice’s battle, that dragon has the ability to breathe fire, does it not?"

"Yeah...?"

"Well, as it happens, fire is precisely my greatest weakness... A single attack from it would be enough to vaporize me completely."

Vorax trembled slightly.

"And, with all due respect, Master, sending me to face that creature would accomplish very little. It would only be a pointless sacrifice."

Mark raised an eyebrow, a half-smile forming.

"When you put it that way, it’s hard to argue," he said with a sigh. "Never mind, then... I’m not about to send you off to get fried for nothing."

"You are a most considerate master," the slime replied, in what sounded like genuine relief. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Well, my core, in my case."

"Wow... I didn’t know Vorax had a sense of humor," Aria said, eyeing him with curiosity.

"Apparently he does," Mark replied, tucking him carefully away again. "And a pretty good one too, better than some people I know."

"Hey!"

Mark let out a laugh before his expression turned serious again.

"Well, looks like we’re back to square one here," he said, turning to Alice. "Sorry, Alice, but you’re going to have to face that thing alone again."

Far from looking intimidated, she simply smiled with confidence as she cracked her knuckles.

"Don’t worry about that, Master. Thanks to Aria I’m fully recovered, and this time, I promise you, I’m winning."

"Even so, I can’t help feeling a little anxious... no matter how injured that dragon is, it’s still extremely dangerous."

"But it’s precisely because it’s injured that I’m sure everything will go fine," Alice explained, glancing back at him as she walked. "And while it’s true dragons heal from wounds at an impressive rate, even they have their limits."

Her expression turned confident.

"So that flying lizard is going to need days, maybe weeks, to fully recover from whatever damage I manage to deal it."

Mark listened, and although the worry didn’t fully leave him, Alice’s confidence rubbed off on him a little, easing his nerves.

"Alright... I trust you," he finally said, letting out a heavy sigh. "But don’t forget, the second things start going wrong, we pull out."

"I know, I know," Alice replied, waving a hand.

The slope grew steeper with every step, and the trees gradually thinned out behind them until they vanished entirely.

When they reached the edge of the vegetation, the mountain rose up before them in its full scale, gray and jagged, its base covered in massive rock formations.

And there, tucked among the crags, they found the entrance.

A monstrously large opening sank into the mountainside, wide enough that the dragon could pass in and out of it without even having to duck its head.

The three of them stopped in front of it, silently taking in the darkness spilling out from inside.

"Wow... so this is where that thing was hiding," Aria murmured, studying the massive entrance. "And this doesn’t look like just a simple cave either. It’s probably got quite a stretch running underneath the mountain."

She fell into thought for a moment.

"You think this could be its nest? Because if it is, that dragon’s probably holed up somewhere deep inside."

"It’s a possibility," Alice replied, her eyes fixed on the darkness of the cave.

Cold, damp air drifted out of the cavern, carrying a strange, metallic smell that none of them found pleasant.

Mark studied the entrance for a long moment, well aware that once they were inside, there’d be no easy turning back.

But they’d come this far with a purpose, and he wasn’t about to back out now.

"Alright, let’s go," he said with resolve. "Keep your eyes open, and don’t split up."

The three of them stepped into the cave shortly after, leaving the sunlight behind to venture into the darkness of the mountain.